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After a dramatic victory over "Milan" in the first Champions League semi-final match on Tuesday, "Man Utd" coach Sir Alex Ferguson had nothing but praise for his players.
"United" trailed 1-2 after the first half, but in the second half they pressed their opponents and celebrated a final victory with a score of 3-2 after two goals from W. Rooney.
"Wayne threatened the opponents all evening, and his winning goal is unbelievable, amazing. He also took a great position for the equalizing goal, and Paul Scholes' pass was fantastic. "Milan" should not feel calm, but so should any other team. I know one thing - we have good chances again," Ferguson said after the win, lifting the spirits.
"Man Utd" coach said that his team showed character: "Losing to a team of this level 1-2 was very difficult, but during the break, I told my men to continue to demonstrate their football and play fast. In the first half, we conceded two terrible goals due to poor defense. But the second half belonged to us. The great equalizing goal gave us a lot of extra energy. Of course, everyone makes mistakes in football, but I am delighted with the game of our players and hope that we will show that we are strong enough to win this tournament."
One of the match's heroes, W. Rooney, stated: "We knew it would be very difficult to come back after being behind at halftime, but the coach instructed us to press the opponents and fight until the end. We achieved our goal. Scoring in the final minutes is a great feeling. It has always been tough to play in Milan - just remember the match in the quarterfinals two years ago. However, after the winning goal, we hope to achieve a positive result in Italy."
Meanwhile, "Milan" coach Carlo Ancelotti was disappointed with the result: "At the end of the match, we played very irresponsibly and conceded a goal. Perhaps a draw would be a fair result. In the first half, we played well and controlled the initiative, but the forced substitution of Gennaro Gattuso had a very negative impact on us, as he dictated the game."
"The opponents have a slight advantage. It will be difficult in Milan, as "Man Utd" are very dangerous on counterattacks - that is one of their strengths, but we will not give up and fight. We are disappointed, but I think the situation is better than in the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich, where we had to seek victories away," Ancelotti did not lose hope.
In the return match next Wednesday, "Milan" would be satisfied with a minimal victory.
